Bill Swift

American baseball player (born 1961)
Baseball player
Bill Swift
Pitcher
Born: (1961-10-27) October 27, 1961 (age 62)
Portland, Maine, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 7, 1985, for the Seattle Mariners
Last MLB appearance
September 11, 1998, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
Win–loss record94–78
Earned run average3.95
Strikeouts767
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals

William Charles Swift (born October 27, 1961) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. Swift played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies.[1]

Scholastic career

After graduating from South Portland High School, Swift attended the University of Maine, where he played college baseball for the Maine Black Bears baseball team from 1981 to 1984,[2] making four consecutive College World Series appearances. Swift pitched for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.

Professional career

Following Swift’s senior year at Maine, he was a first-round draft pick (second overall selection) by the Seattle Mariners in the 1984 MLB draft, making his MLB debut with the 1985 Mariners.[1]

In 1991, Swift was traded to the San Francisco Giants, along with pitchers Mike Jackson and Dave Burba, for outfielder Kevin Mitchell and pitcher Mike Remlinger. The Giants immediately moved Swift from the bullpen to the starting rotation, where he emerged as one of baseball’s best pitchers, leading the National League (NL) with a 2.08 earned run average (ERA) in 1992 and winning 21 games in 1993.[3]

Between 1995 and 1997, Swift played for the Colorado Rockies. While the Rockies had high hopes for him, he struggled with a shoulder injury, back pains, and the psychological difficulties of the thin air of Colorado, and never again put up numbers comparable to his days with the Giants. Swift was eventually released by the Rockies due to shoulder trouble and triceps tightness.

In 1998, Swift returned to the Seattle Mariners. He struggled, posting an 11-9 record with a 5.85 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Swift retired during spring training, the following season (1999).[3][4]

Swift's career numbers were extremely similar to those of 1930s pitcher Bill Swift.

After playing

On December 22, 1999, USA Today named Swift as one of Maine's best athletes of the 20th century.[5][6] He was inducted into the inaugural class of the New England Baseball Hall of Fame on January 25, 2015.[6]

Swift and wife Michelle have three daughters, Aubrey, Mackenzie, and Brynlie; while the children attended Scottsdale Christian Academy in Phoenix, Arizona (and for years beyond), their father coached High School Baseball for the school.[4]

Following the end of the 2013 baseball season, Swift accepted the position of head baseball coach at Arizona Christian University;[7][4] after five progressively successful seasons, he resigned following the 2018 season.[8][4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Bill Swift Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  2. ^ "University of Maine Baseball Players Who Made it to the Major Leagues". baseball-almanac.com. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Bill Swift Stats, Fantasy & News". mlb.com. Major League Baseball. 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d LeMoine, Bob (August 15, 2018). "Bill Swift Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. ^ Gould, Lance (December 22, 1999). "Swift one of Maine's best athletes of the 20th century". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Bill Swift Elected to New England Baseball Hall of Fame". gsacsports.org. Springfield MA: Golden State Athletic Conference. December 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  7. ^ "Swift Hired as Arizona Christian Baseball Coach". gsacsports.org. Phoenix AZ: Golden State Athletic Conference. June 30, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  8. ^ "Swift Resigns, Search Begins for New ACU Baseball Coach". acufirestorm.com. Arizona Christian University. May 17, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2019.

Further reading

  • Betit, Paul. "He´s got them all making their pitch". Portland Press Herald pressherald.com. April 17, 2004.

External links

  • Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
  • Bill Swift at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
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1984 Olympic Baseball Silver Medalists – United States
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Seattle Mariners first-round draft picks
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New York / San Francisco Giants Opening Day starting pitchers